Psychology Notes for Chapter 1
Donnie Millang
Psych
August 30, 2012
Chapter 1- The Science of Psychology
What it means to be a psychologist
Overview:
1. What is psychology 2. The growth of psychology as a science 3. Major trends in the development of psychology
What is Psychology?
-Psychology: the scientific study of the causes of behavior A. Why is behavior studied a. To understand human behavior b. To explain why people do what they do
*If behavior has laws we can study and control those laws- goal of psychology
-Example: Road Rage- explaining and describing this phenomenon Step 1. Describe what road rage is- when is it road rage and when isn’t it? (study page 4) Step2.
-Fields of Psychology:
A. Scientists
B. Practitioners
Areas of Psychological Research 1. Physiological- underlying chemistry, neurochemistry. 2. Comparative- compare things about species- ex- feeding habits 3. Behavior Genetics- manipulate genes to study a species-use mice- helps us understand particular behaviors.
Genes code for protein 4. Cognitive Psychology- study mental processes and complex behavior (page 5) 5. Cognitive Neuroscience-study memory and attention. Study changes in the brain. Would look at the science behind complex behaviors. 6. Developmental- How our life and behavior changes throughout our lifetime (ex from toddler to teenager) and what doesn’t change. Figure out when certain abilities appear (ex. When we have the ability to count, do calculus, do addition) They can usually figure out when something is wrong ( like at birth if babies do not react to certain things- shows nervous system is where it needs to be) 7. Social- Look at how people behave in groups. How we react to people in different groups. 8. Personality- study and discover certain kinds of traits that people share or that are unique to people. Example- study conscientiousness- higher end of the scale- neat and clean-lower end- less caring. Study characteristics
Psych
August 30, 2012
Chapter 1- The Science of Psychology
What it means to be a psychologist
Overview:
1. What is psychology 2. The growth of psychology as a science 3. Major trends in the development of psychology
What is Psychology?
-Psychology: the scientific study of the causes of behavior A. Why is behavior studied a. To understand human behavior b. To explain why people do what they do
*If behavior has laws we can study and control those laws- goal of psychology
-Example: Road Rage- explaining and describing this phenomenon Step 1. Describe what road rage is- when is it road rage and when isn’t it? (study page 4) Step2.
-Fields of Psychology:
A. Scientists
B. Practitioners
Areas of Psychological Research 1. Physiological- underlying chemistry, neurochemistry. 2. Comparative- compare things about species- ex- feeding habits 3. Behavior Genetics- manipulate genes to study a species-use mice- helps us understand particular behaviors.
Genes code for protein 4. Cognitive Psychology- study mental processes and complex behavior (page 5) 5. Cognitive Neuroscience-study memory and attention. Study changes in the brain. Would look at the science behind complex behaviors. 6. Developmental- How our life and behavior changes throughout our lifetime (ex from toddler to teenager) and what doesn’t change. Figure out when certain abilities appear (ex. When we have the ability to count, do calculus, do addition) They can usually figure out when something is wrong ( like at birth if babies do not react to certain things- shows nervous system is where it needs to be) 7. Social- Look at how people behave in groups. How we react to people in different groups. 8. Personality- study and discover certain kinds of traits that people share or that are unique to people. Example- study conscientiousness- higher end of the scale- neat and clean-lower end- less caring. Study characteristics